Menu
MapConnectionsTopicsBulgariaThe Night (K-TRIO)Marie Skłodowska-CurieFor studentsFor teachersMethodologySurprise me
H2020Individual fellowship2015–2017

CONTESTEDWATERS · Contested Waters: Rio de Janeiro’s Public Water Supply and the Social Structuring of the City

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2015-05-01 → 2017-04-30
EU contribution
€159,461
Participants
1
Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Contested Waters: Rio de Janeiro’s Public Water Supply and the Social Structuring of the City

The action investigated the social and political history of colonial and imperial Rio de Janeiro (16th to 19th centuries) along the lines of its water supply. Although not particularly scarce in its occurrence, due to the special geological conditions, in Rio de Janeiro the water was more contested than in many others. The action helps us to understand how European rule in the overseas empires was constantly and substantially challenged by local circumstances, and it discloses the character of changes in urban society produced by the transfer of the Portuguese court to Rio de Janeiro and later by Brazilian independence. The action also seeked to demonstrate the relevance and applicability of environmental topics to other fields of history, and to encourage a more reflected and socially engaged thinking concerning some of the most pressing problems of today’s world: the property, control and management of water.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The objective of the project is to write a social and political history of colonial and imperial Rio de Janeiro (16th to 19th centuries) along the lines of its expanding water supply. It is based on the assumption that the access to and control of water were closely related to the social and political struggles and structures in the city. Although not particularly scarce in its occurrence, due to the special geological situation, water and the water supply have always been more contested in Rio de Janeiro than in many other cities. Therefore water, with its highly transient availability but continuous relevance for all parts of society, is a topic suited to uncover important aspects of urban history, for specific situations as well as for broader developments, and ultimately for understanding how European rule in the overseas empires was constantly and extensively challenged by local circumstances. Furthermore, the project will give a response to the theoretical question about the relevance and applicability of environmental history to other fields of history, and encourage a more reflected and socially engaged thinking about some of the most pressing problems of our current world: the property, control and management of water – and harmful potential which can emanate from it.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN · PlaneggCoordinatorGermany

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union